Rested and Back at Work

By James Kelly

With some thoughts about arms, Wall Street and "Silent Cal"

It was the sort of speaking engagement any President would enjoy. Ronald Reagan, however, seemed to take particular relish last week in addressing the 182nd commencement exercises at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. Striding to the podium amid the rousing strains of Hail to the Chief, Reagan was greeted by thunderous applause from the 906 graduating cadets and 26,000 spectators in the academy's Michie Stadium. Then, in a speech lasting 25 minutes, interrupted 15 times by applause, Reagan declared that the country had grown out of its "Viet Nam syndrome" and vowed to continue his battle to beef up the nation's defenses. "The era of self-doubt is over," he proclaimed. "Let friend and foe alike be made aware of the spirit that is sweeping across our land, because it means we will meet our responsibility to the free world."

Reagan alluded to his opposition to a peacetime draft and promised to fill the ranks of the volunteer Army by upping the salaries of today's soldiers. He also announced the formation of a Defense Manpower Task Force, headed by Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger, to study a merit-pay system, among other benefits, for the armed services.

In a hawkish tone that echoed many of his campaign speeches, Reagan also said that a buildup of the nation's weapons arsenal took precedence over the resumption of arms-control negotiations with the Soviet Union. While he did not rule out such talks completely, Reagan stressed that "we have a better chance of finding [peace] if we maintain our strength while we're searching."

The morning had several touching moments. After the speech, Cadet Mark Hogan, president of the 1981 class, presented Reagan with a saber mounted on a wooden plaque. Then, while handing out diplomas to the top 50 graduates, Reagan found himself facing Michael Meese, 20, ranked 28th in his class and the son of Presidential Counsellor Edwin Meese. With the cadet's proud father standing at his side, Reagan beamed and congratulated the youth. After the ceremonies, the President and Mrs. Reagan stopped to greet an invited guest and old Hollywood friend: Actor James Cagney, 81, who made Boy Meets Girl in 1938 with the nation's most famous former film star.

There were also grim reminders of the heightened security measures that have been taken since the President was shot on March 30. Sharpshooters were positioned on the top steps of the bleachers in Michie Stadium, constantly scanning the crowd. Cadets with seats near the podium were required to walk through metal detectors before entering the stadium. The President was whisked by helicopter between the academy and Stewart Airport in Newburgh, N.Y., where Air Force One had landed; he did not stop to answer reporters' questions, as he normally did before the assassination attempt.

The President now seems fully recovered from his wounds. Ruddy-faced and relaxed, he had spent a leisurely four-day Memorial Day weekend with Mrs. Reagan on their 688-acre ranch in the Santa Ynez Mountains near Santa Barbara, Calif. He and his wife rode horseback for an hour or so each morning. With help' from an old friend, Barney Barnett, he spent time clearing oak branches that had fallen during a late winter snowstorm in March. Apart from working on his West Point speech, he just took it easy. "He was in a super mood the whole time we were up there," said Dennis Leblanc, one of only two personal aides who accompanied the Reagans to the ranch. "He was smiling and joking all the time."

The rest obviously did Reagan good. By the time he returned to Washington from West Point in the middle of the week, he was putting in full workdays for the first time since the shooting. He spent a half hour with Iosif Mendelevich, a Soviet dissident who just finished serving eleven years in a jail in his homeland, and Avital Shcharansky, whose husband Anatoli remains imprisoned in the Soviet Union. At week's end he conferred with Philip C. Habib, his special envoy to the Middle East, who has been working for the past month to defuse the Israeli-Syrian crisis. Habib, at Reagan's request, will return to the Middle East this week to continue his shuttle diplomacy (see WORLD).

The President met with 87 state and local officials from the Northeast and took a swipe at the New York financial community for fearing that his proposed tax cuts will spur inflation. Over the past few weeks, skepticism on Wall Street toward the Administration's program has sent bond prices plunging. Said Reagan: "They're sitting there watching anything they think may change the interest rates and bond market. I think that they're looking through a very narrow glass." The President also mentioned that "silent Calvin Coolidge" was one of his favorite Chief Executives because he cut taxes, kept the Government small--and still managed to preside over an era of economic growth. Said Reagan with a broad smile: "If he did that by doing nothing, well, maybe that's the answer for the Federal Government." Silent Cal, no doubt, would have murmured his approval.

--By James Kelly.

Reported by Laurence I. Barrett/Washington

With reporting by Laurence I. Barrett/Washington

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